The mixtures of vapour and liquid introduced into separators, especially those of steam and water arising from high pressure expansion turbines in electrical power stations, are not very homogeneous, part of the water being capable of coming together in large drops which remain entrained by the steam. This water deposits itself at the entrance to some separator elements and clogs them temporarily, so that instabilities of flow occur.
Moreover, the flow of vapour-liquid mixture is never completely uniform over the cross-section of the supply tubing, so that preferential flows of the vapour-liquid mixture easily become established through one part of the separator elements, which impedes the operation of all these to the same fraction of their maximal capacity and reduces the overall flow which can be dealt with.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention remedy the above drawbacks and provide an apparatus for distribution of a vapour-liquid mixture in a separator which stops the large drops or bursts of liquid entrained by the vapour, which ensures a preliminary separation of the liquid and which allows the separator to be operated in a uniform manner and if necessary at a maximal flow greater than the flow which can be achieved without it.